Before Hugh Grant started his heel turn in films like “Paddington 2” and the recently release A24 horror film “Heretic,” he was mostly known as a romantic lead. With films like “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Notting Hill,” Grant warmed his way into the hearts of countless with his dashing good looks and witty charm. One of his most memorable romantic roles was in “ Bridget Jones ‘s Diary,” which spawned two sequels and now an upcoming third one that Grant has been coaxed into returning for after skipping the last one, “Bridget Jones’s Baby.
” Discussing the upcoming entry in the franchise, Grant shared on The Graham Norton Show how the film will not only provide laughs, as per usual, but also an emotional underpinning that will feel new for the typically frothy films. “As well as being extremely funny, it’s very, very sad,” Grant said, adding, “but absolutely no role for Daniel Cleaver as far as I could see.” In the first two films, made in 2001 and 2004, Cleaver served as an antagonist to the romance between Jones, played by Renée Zellwegger, and barrister Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, but eventually faded into the background as their love flourished.
In the latest “Bridget Jones” novel from Helen Fielding, entitled “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” Cleaver does not appear, but the team behind the film adaptation were determined to “cram” him in anyway. “It’s actually a very good and moving script,” Grant sa.